The Glass Association of North America (GANA) is a proud co-sponsor of GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window and Door Expo. GANA is an original sponsor of the event, which began as a partnership among GANA, AAMA and NGA. This year’s event will be held September 13-15, 2005, and returns to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. By returning to Atlanta, the site for the successful first event two years ago, GlassBuild America is poised to provide the glass and glazing industry an excellent platform to continue the upward trend of the industry.

Resources for You
When planning your walk around the show, make sure to stop at the Industry Pavilion (booth #1360) and visit with GANA staff. We will be showcasing our newest reference manual, the Project Managers Reference Manual, written specifically for the contract glazing industry, as well as our other manuals for the glass and glazing industry. With the release of the Project Managers Reference Manual in July, many in the industry have been waiting for this newly developed resource. Stop by our booth, review the new manual and place your order on-site. All manuals will be shipped directly to your office immediately following the show.

We also plan to discuss upcoming code and certification issues, such as the potential NFRC non-residential program, and you can also pick up our most current publications brochures and industry documents, including the various informational bulletins published periodically by GANA, and its official publication USGlass. We will be showing portions of our AIA-accredited presentation, Glass in Today’s Architecture, which features the various properties of glass in design.

Live Demonstration
GANA will also be sponsoring an exciting, dynamic live impact demonstration at the show this year. Hurricane- and windborne-debris-resistant glazing applications have become hot commodities with the onslaught of hurricanes in the southeast, and GANA will provide you with a demonstration to showcase the effectiveness of these product applications. Produced by Hurricane Test Laboratory LLC, you can witness a live demonstration of non-impact and impact-resistant glass as a 2-x-4 missile impacts it, traveling 34 miles per hour from an air canon. View the various characteristics for these different types of glazing applications and participate in the question and answer session that will follow the demonstration. It’s the closest you are going to want to come to real debris in a hurricane. The demonstration will be held on Tuesday, September 13, at 4 p.m., and Thursday, September 15, at 2 p.m. A brief question and answer session will follow the demo.

Tech Talk
Are you wondering about the proposed changes in the current code cycle? Are you curious about the rapidly developing NFRC non-residential product certification program? Are you stumped about the most recent ASTM standards updates? Make sure to schedule time and drop by the GANA booth to speak with Greg Carney, GANA’s technical director. As GANA’s representative on the Glazing Industry Code Committee and its board of governors, the Protective Glazing Council’s board of directors, chairperson of NFRC’s non-residential product certification program task group and various ASTM standards update task groups, GANA members are encouraged to utilize Greg’s knowledge of upcoming changes and implementations. You may also voice your opinion on issues that concern you and your business to Greg so that he may pass them on to those in the industry who may make a difference.

We’re looking forward to seeing and meeting you in Atlanta, so be sure and visit us in booth 1360.

The Author:Ashley M. Charest is the account executive for the Glass Association of North America, based in Topeka, Kan.